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Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Today's Deals and Bargain Books


Update: B&N has priced matched Amazon on Kitchen Confidential.

Last night's UK Kindle books are now free for US Kindlers and from B&N, an EPUB format was added to one Kindle freebie, while a long-term EPUB only freebie is now on Kindle and one free last month has returned. Oddly enough, all of today's updates are on Christian published titles.

Kitchen Confidential ($9.49 $1.99 Kindle; $3.18 B&N; $3.49 Kobo - coupon eligible), by Anthony Bourdain, is today's Kindle Deal of the Day. I bought this in paper a while back, then replaced it with the ebook earlier this year, or I'd snap it up today.
Book Description
Kitchen Confidential reveals what Bourdain calls "twenty-five years of sex, drugs, bad behavior and haute cuisine."

Last summer, The New Yorker published Chef Bourdain's shocking, "Don't Eat Before Reading This." Bourdain spared no one's appetite when he told all about what happens behind the kitchen door. Bourdain uses the same "take-no-prisoners" attitude in his deliciously funny and shockingly delectable book, sure to delight gourmands and philistines alike. From Bourdain's first oyster in the Gironde, to his lowly position as dishwasher in a honky tonk fish restaurant in Provincetown (where he witnesses for the first time the real delights of being a chef); from the kitchen of the Rainbow Room atop Rockefeller Center, to drug dealers in the east village, from Tokyo to Paris and back to New York again, Bourdain's tales of the kitchen are as passionate as they are unpredictable. Kitchen Confidential will make your mouth water while your belly aches with laughter. You'll beg the chef for more, please.

13 1/2 ($4.99 Kindle, B&N; $18.69 Kobo), by Nevada Barr, is today's Nook Daily Find, with the price matched at Amazon, as well. Doesn't look like you'll be getting this one as a library book anytime soon, either, unless you listen as an audiobook (I checked three libraries).
Book Description
With 13 ½, Nevada Barr, New York Times bestselling author of the award-winning Anna Pigeon novels, has written a taut and terrifying psychological thriller. It carries the reader from the horrifying 1970s murder spree of a child— dubbed “Butcher Boy” by a shocked public—in Rochester, Minnesota, to Polly, the abused daughter of Mississippi “trailer trash,” to post-Katrina New Orleans.

In Jackson Square in the French Quarter a tarot card reader told Polly Deschamps she would be a success. Thirty years later, Polly is a respected professor of literature with good friends and her own home—a safe life for her and her two daughters.

Butcher Boy, released on his seventeenth birthday, shook the snow from his boots and headed south.
New Orleans, a Mecca for runaways then and now, offers sanctuary but never forgiveness.


When Polly falls in love with Marshall Marchand, a restoration architect who is helping to rebuild her adopted city, shadows of the past rise out of the poisoned ground of New Orleans as thick and deadly as the toxic waters of the flood.

Like history, some crimes are doomed to repeat themselves. Evil stays the same, only the victims’ names change. As two broken pasts collide in an uncertain present, Polly is determined that her children’s names will never be on that list.

The Dummy Line ($7.99 US; £0.99 UK), by Bobby Cole, is the first of two titles, recently highlighted in the Kindle Post, that are a much better deal for those in the UK. They can't blame another publisher, though, as this one is from AmazonEncore.
Book Description
Avid hunter Jake Crosby is thrilled that his nine-year-old daughter Katy shares his love of the outdoors. His wife, Morgan, on the other hand, does not, which means Jake and Katy enjoy an abundance of hunting, fishing, and camping trips together. So when they head off into the Alabama woods for a spring turkey hunt, Jake expects nothing out of the ordinary. But even his worst nightmares could not prepare him for what befalls them that evening, when a band of drug dealers attempts to break into their remote camp. Desperate to protect his daughter and himself, Jake makes a gut-wrenching decision. His quick thinking enables him and Katy to escape…but brings the gang of vengeful criminals hot on their trail. Gambling on his knowledge of the land and hunting skills, he leads their bloodthirsty pursuers on a perilous cat-and-mouse game deep within the Noxubee River swamp. Jake knows they all won’t come out alive—but he will do whatever is necessary to make sure Katy does. Taut and engrossing, The Dummy Line explores what happens when an ordinary man is pushed to extraordinary lengths to protect the one he loves most and those for whom he feels responsible.

The Greenhouse ($7.99 US; £1.99 UK), by Audur Ava Olafsdottir and Brian FitzGibbon (Translator), is the second titles that is a better deal for those in the UK. This time around, the publisher is AmazonCrossing.
Book Description
For Lobbi, the tragic passing of his mother proves to be a profound catalyst. Their shared love of tending rare roses in her greenhouse inspires him to leave his studies behind and travel to a remote village monastery to restore its once fabulous gardens. While transforming the garden under the watchful eye of a cinephile monk, he is surprised by a visit from Anna, a friend of a friend with whom he shared a fateful moment in his mother’s greenhouse, and the daughter they together conceived that night. In caring for both the garden and the little girl, Lobbi slowly begins to assume the varied and complex roles of a man: fatherhood with a deep relationship with his child, cooking, nurturing, and remaining also a son, brother, lover, and…a gardener. A story about the heartfelt search for beauty in life, The Greenhouse is a touching reminder of our ability to turn the small things in everyday life into the extraordinary.

Living with the Mind of Christ: A Lenten Study for Adults ($4.40 US, $0.55 Canada), by James A. Harnish, is greatly discounted for those north of the border.
Book Description
This is the 11th year for a thematic Lenten study offering. This study will include 7 sessions, one for each Sunday in Lent, including Easter Sunday. Each session features a scripture reference, a personal reading and questions for personal reflection or group discussion; suggestions for ways to deepen the Lenten journey or a focus for the coming week may also be included.

This particular study is based on Philippians 2:1-11 (“Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus…”). The goal is to discover what it might look like for us, in very practical ways, to live with the mind of Christ.

When Will Jesus Bring the Pork Chops? ($2.51), by George Carlin (most definitely NOT a Christian published title).
Book Description
On the heels of George Carlin's #1 New York Times bestseller Napalm & Silly Putty comes When Will Jesus Bring the Pork Chops? -- infused with Carlin's trademark irreverent humor and biting cultural observations.

Here we go again . . . George Carlin's hilarious When Will Jesus Bring the Pork Chops? offers his cutting-edge opinions and observational humor on everything from evasive euphemistic language to politicians to the media to dead people. Nothing and no one is safe!

Despite the current climate of political correctness, Carlin is not afraid to take on controversial topics.

Everyday Angels ($0.99), by Jenny Smedley
Book Description
Do I have an angel? Does my angel care about me? How can I contact my angel? Can my angel appear to help and guide me? These are just a few of the questions that Jenny Smedley, world renowned angel expert, regularly receives in letters from her readers, prompting her to write this book. It saddened Jenny to think that some people still don't think they deserve an angel. Packed with tales of angel encounters, both dramatic and everyday, and also with new tips on how to connect with your angels and even get evidence of their presence, this book should convince everyone who reads it that every single person (and even our four-legged friends!) really does have a guardian angel.

Love Your Body ($1.99), by Louise Hay
Book Description
In this wonderful little book, bestselling author Louise L. Hay brings you 54 affirmation treatments designed to help you create a beautiful, healthy, happy body. If you are challenged by a particular part of your body, use the corresponding affirmations daily until you realize positive results.

How to Flirt with a Naked Werewolf ($3.99), by Molly Harper
Book Description
Even in Grundy, Alaska, it’s unusual to find a naked guy with a bear trap clamped to his ankle on your porch. But when said guy turns into a wolf, recent southern transplant Mo Wenstein has no difficulty identifying the problem. Her surly neighbor Cooper Graham—who has been openly critical of Mo’s ability to adapt to life in Alaska—has trouble of his own. Werewolf trouble.

For Cooper, an Alpha in self-imposed exile from his dysfunctional pack, it’s love at first sniff when it comes to Mo. But Cooper has an even more pressing concern on his mind. Several people around Grundy have been the victims of wolf attacks, and since Cooper has no memory of what he gets up to while in werewolf form, he’s worried that he might be the violent canine in question.

If a wolf cries wolf, it makes sense to listen, yet Mo is convinced that Cooper is not the culprit. Except if he’s not responsible, then who is? And when a werewolf falls head over haunches in love with you, what are you supposed to do anyway? The rules of dating just got a whole lot more complicated. . . .

Don't Sweat the Small Stuff and It's All Small Stuff: SIMPLE WAYS TO KEEP THE LITTLE THINGS FROM TAKING OVER YOUR LIFE ($2.99), by Richard Carlson
Book Description
Don't Sweat the Small Stuff...and It's All Small Stuff is an audiobook that tells you how to keep from letting the little things in life drive you crazy. In thoughtful and insightful language, author Richard Carlson reveals ways to calm down in the midst of your incredibly hurried, stress-filled life.

You can learn to put things into perspective by making the small daily changes Dr. Carlson suggests, including advice such as "Choose your battles wisely"; "Remind yourself that when you die, your 'in' box won't be empty"; and "Make peace with imperfection".

The World According to Mr. Rogers ($2.), by Fred Rogers
Book Description
Since his death in February 2003, the outpouring of affection for Fred Rogers has been overwhelming. He was familiar to millions as the host of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood and adored by children and adults alike. But most people don’t know that Fred Rogers was also an ordained minister who made it his life’s mission to work with families and inspire people every day. In fact, all proceeds from the sales of this book will go to the Fred Rogers’ Fund, which continues Fred Rogers’ work around the country to promote the healthy emotional, social, and intellectual development of children.

THE WORLD ACCORDING TO MISTER ROGERS is a collection that testifies to Fred Rogers’ deep intelligence about human nature – no matter the age of the person. His writings are featured in sections on Love, Friendship, Respect, Individuality, Honesty, Education and Reassurance. In his speeches, transcripts and interviews, Fred Rogers exposed his true self in order to help us understand that there is much more that unites us than divides us.

Making Toast ($1.99), by Roger Rosenblatt
Book Description
When his daughter, Amy—a gifted doctor, mother, and wife—collapses and dies from an asymptomatic heart condition, Roger Rosenblatt and his wife, Ginny, leave their home on the South Shore of Long Island to move in with their son-in-law, Harris, and their three young grandchildren: six-year-old Jessica, four-year-old Sammy, and one-year-old James, known as Bubbies. Long past the years of diapers, homework, and recitals, Roger and Ginny—Boppo and Mimi to the kids—quickly reaccustom themselves to the world of small children: bedtime stories, talking toys, playdates, nonstop questions, and nonsequential thought. Though reeling from Amy's death they carry on, reconstructing a family, sustaining one another, and guiding three lively, alert, and tender-hearted children through the pains and confusions of grief. As he marvels at the strength of his son-in-law, a surgeon, and the tenacity and skill of his wife, a former kindergarten teacher, Roger attends each day to "the one household duty I have mastered"—preparing the morning toast perfectly to each child's liking.

With the wit, heart, precision, and depth of understanding that has characterized his work, Roger Rosenblatt peels back the layers on this most personal of losses to create both a tribute to his late daughter and a testament to familial love. The day Amy died, Harris told Ginny and Roger, "It's impossible." Roger's story tells how a family makes the possible of the impossible.

Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter ($2.99), by Tom Franklin
Book Description
Tom Franklin's extraordinary talent has been hailed by the leading lights of contemporary literature—Philip Roth, Richard Ford, Lee Smith, and Dennis Lehane. Reviewers have called his fiction "ingenious" (USA Today) and "compulsively readable" (Memphis Commercial Appeal). His narrative power and flair for character-ization have been compared to the likes of Harper Lee, Flannery O'Connor, Elmore Leonard, and Cormac McCarthy.

Now the Edgar Award-winning author returns with his most accomplished and resonant novel so far—an atmospheric drama set in rural Mississippi. In the late 1970s, Larry Ott and Silas "32" Jones were boyhood pals. Their worlds were as different as night and day: Larry, the child of lower-middle-class white parents, and Silas, the son of a poor, single black mother. Yet for a few months the boys stepped outside of their circumstances and shared a special bond. But then tragedy struck: Larry took a girl on a date to a drive-in movie, and she was never heard from again. She was never found and Larry never confessed, but all eyes rested on him as the culprit. The incident shook the county—and perhaps Silas most of all. His friendship with Larry was broken, and then Silas left town.

More than twenty years have passed. Larry, a mechanic, lives a solitary existence, never able to rise above the whispers of suspicion. Silas has returned as a constable. He and Larry have no reason to cross paths until another girl disappears and Larry is blamed again. And now the two men who once called each other friend are forced to confront the past they've buried and ignored for decades.

Dead on the Delta ($3.99), by Stacey Jay, is currently on sale from Simon and Schuster. She's self-published the related (and later) novella, Valentine's Day of the Undead ($3.25)
Book Description
Once upon a time, fairies were the stuff of bedtime stories and sweet dreams. Then came the mutations, and the dre-ams became nightmares. Mosquito-size fairies now indulge their taste for human blood—and for most humans, a fairy bite means insanity or death. Luckily, Annabelle Lee isn’t most humans. The hard-drinking, smart-mouthed, bicycle-riding redhead is immune to fairy venom, and able to do the dirty work most humans can’t. Including helping law enforcement— and Cane Cooper, the bayou’s sexiest detective—collect evidence when a body is discovered outside the fairy-proof barricades of her Louisiana town.But Annabelle isn’t equipped to deal with the murder of a sixyear- old girl or a former lover-turned-FBI snob taking an interest in the case. Suddenly her already bumpy relationship with Cane turns even rockier, and even the most trust-worthy friends become suspects. Annabelle’s life is imploding: between relationship drama, a heartbreaking murder investigation, Breeze-crazed drug runners, and a few too many rum and Cokes, Annabelle is a woman on the run—from her past, toward her future, and into the arms of a darkness waiting just for her. . . .

Huntress ($2.99), by Nicole Hamlett, is also self-published. The first in what appears to be a planned series, it looks interesting (cool cover and nice synopsis).
Book Description
"Fate is an ugly bitch who will screw with your life every single chance she gets."

Grace Murphy, a newly single mother finds this out as she's trying to figure out how to lead a perfectly normal life. The big question becomes, what do you do when you find out that your mother is Diana, the Goddess of the Hunt and she expects you to take up the family business?

You can try hiding, but escaping when you have an ex-husband to deal with, a kid to raise and an unknown being who's trying to kill you is tricky at best.

Now the woman who couldn't put a bookshelf together without getting sweaty and perplexed must learn how to roar...without getting herself and everyone she loves killed.

Saving the world? Not a problem.

Getting home in time for chocolate chip pancakes might be a whole other matter, though...

Goddess With a Blade ($3.82), a full-length novel by Lauren Dane, is currently discounted by Carina Press.
Book Description
Rowan Summerwaite is no ordinary woman. Physical vessel to the Celtic Goddess Brigid and raised by the leader of the Vampire Nation, she's a supercharged hunter with the power to slay any vampire who violates the age-old treaty.

A recent string of murders has her at odds with Las Vegas's new Scion, the arrogant and powerful Clive Stewart. The killings have the mark of Vampire all over them, and Rowan warns Clive to keep his people in line—or she'll mete out her own brand of justice.

Though her dealings with Clive are adversarial to say the least, Rowan is intensely aware of her attraction to him. But she can't let it distract her from her duty—to find and battle the killer before more women die.

Kissed by Darkness ($2.99), a self-published novel by Shéa MacLeod, is either pretty good or she's bribed a number of people into leaving stellar reviews. There aren't as many reviews on the second in the Sunwalker Saga, Kissed by Fire, but they are all five-star.
Kissed by Darkness
Danger is always on the menu for Morgan Bailey, a sexy and street-smart bounty hunter, who prowls the dark underworld of Portland, Oregon hunting creatures of the night. Morgan’s never met a vampire she couldn’t dust or a demon she couldn't kill until she's hired to destroy a new kind of mystical threat: the Sunwalker.

A powerful immortal once believed myth, the Sunwalker carries with him an ancient secret which, if left unchecked, will destroy Morgan’s world. Pursued by a passionate Templar Knight and the target of the local vampire clans, an ancient power is awakened within her, unlike anything she’s ever known. Morgan must uncover the truth behind her mission and about herself, before the Darkness lurking inside swallows her whole.


Kissed by Fire
Vampire Hunter Morgan Bailey’s life is about to take a turn for the weird. As if Sunwalkers,a Templar Knight, and an ancient Atlantean artifact weren’t enough.

When a MI8 analyst is brutally murdered, Morgan is called to London to investigate. She stumbles across a conspiracy involving an extinct supernatural race. Dragons. But the dragons may not be as extinct as everyone thought.

The Darkness grows inside her. A new power rages out of control. She is stalked through the streets of London by the vampire who murdered her.

Morgan must hunt her own killer. She must uncover the truth. Or humanity will be plunged into a war it can never hope to win.

Shades of Gray ($0.99), by L.M. Pruitt, also appears to be a good start of a new series (Jude Magdalyn). I'd skip her short story prequel, Hole in the Wall, at Amazon; if you want to read it, grab it for free on Smashwords (it also contains the first 18 chapters of Shades of Gray, in case you want a longer sample.
Book Description
Jude Magdalyn Henries lives what many would call an unconventional life.

Orphaned at birth, raised by nuns, a teenage runaway living on the streets… she now earns a living at odd jobs, including one as a fake tarot card reader. Very little about Jude’s life appears normal, by any scale. When she accepts a gig to do a private reading, unconventional takes on an entirely new meaning.

Life as she knows it ends when she’s thrust into a world she never knew existed—one filled with magic, vampires, and her beloved New Orleans on the verge of an underground war. To make matters worse, she's got two men in her life vying for attention, Williams and Theo. Both call to a different part of her, but one scares her just a little bit. Can she step up to the challenges set before her and make the right choices for the greater, which may or not be the greater good?